Haringey Council leader quits in landmark victory for Corbyn supporters and Labour left

Claire Kober accuses left-wing activists of 'bullying' and 'sexism' and takes swipe at 'ideological dogma' of Labour leader

The Labour leader of Haringey Council has dramatically quit over what she called “bullying” and “sexism” by supporters of Jeremy Corbyn.

Claire Kober, who has held the post since 2008, said she would step down after May’s local elections amid controversy over a huge regeneration scheme in the borough.

Her departure is the latest incident in the ongoing battle between centrist Labour representatives and left-wing members who have joined since Mr Corbyn became leader.

Ms Kober has been a target of left-wing activists because of her decision to push ahead with the plan, named the Haringey Development Vehicle, which has been widely criticised by councillors and members of the public in the north London borough.

She fought off an attempt to remove her late last year, but saw a number of her cabinet allies deselected by left-wing members and replaced with Momentum-backed candidates because of their support for the scheme. Other sitting councillors stepped down before they were forced out.

Ms Kober told the Evening Standard: "The sexism, bullying, undemocratic behaviour and outright personal attacks on me as the most senior woman in Labour local government have left me disappointed and disillusioned.”

Earlier this month, Labour’s ruling National Executive Committee took the unprecedented step of asking Haringey to halt the HDV, prompting accusations from councillors across the country that the Momentum-dominated committee was setting a dangerous precedent by intervening in local matters. It came after 22 Haringey councillors wrote to the committee asking them to intervene.

Ms Kober said she would let the next council leader decide whether to proceed with the HDV, meaning it is all but certain to be ditched.

Insiders have previously told The Independent that all of the frontrunners to succeed Ms Kober are from the left of the party and are opponents of the HDV, as well as being staunch supporters of Mr Corbyn.

In a letter to Labour bosses, Ms Kober called the NEC’s decision “legally dubious” and “democratically unsound”. She said she was "deeply disappointed" that she had not been informed that the issue was to be discussed, adding that it was "discourteous" not to give her the opportunity to explain the council's reasoning.

She said: “Ideological dogma will do nothing to improve their lives; only a determination to find practical solutions – in partnership with other sectors – offers them any realistic prospect of a better, more secure future.

“For me the responsibility of political office is to work to improve people’s lives even when that means finding solutions that aren’t always an ideologically comfortable fit.

“Political issues are rarely binary, solutions are not simply good or bad. Political leadership is about setting a vision and working to deliver on it using whatever tools are available.

“That is how we deliver improved outcomes for the communities that seek to gain most from Labour in government, be that local or national.”